TRUCE TALKS DEADLOCK

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26516, 3 September 1951, Page 7

TRUCE TALKS DEADLOCK

Enemy Attitude

In Korea

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9.20 TOKYO. September 2. A General Headquarters release yesterday said that if the Communists refused to resume the truce talks “it would be taken as the last conclusive evidence of their bad faith and there is no doubt as to the course of action the world must take.” The Communist leaders in Korea today challenged General Ridgway openly to declare his intention to break the Kaesong cease-fire talks or deal conscientiously and responsibly with the Communist accusations of Allied violations of the neutral zone. A message from the North Korean commander, General Kim II Sung, and the Chinese leader in Korea, General Peng Teh-huai, was broadcast over the Peking radio. The message came almost exactly 24 hours after the Communists’ latest accusation of the Allied violation of the Kaesong area. The accusation was that an Allied plane dropped bombs near General Nam IPs Kaesong residence early on Saturday morning. Both General Kim II Sung and General Peng Teh-huai to-day lodged “a grave protest" about this, calling the incident extremely serious and provocative.

Th e Communist leaders accused the Allies of flagrantly-continued provocations, aimed at undermining the ceasefire negotiations.

~The leader of the Allied delegation (Vice-Admiral Turner Joy) to-day rejected Communist charges of violations of the Kaesong Zone, declaring: “You are evidently using your military occupation of the neutral zone to create conditions which tend to prevent the resumption of the armistice talks."

Admiral Joy denied that the Allied troops were within 2500 yards of the places where the incidents were alleged to have occurred, and he again referred to possible partisan activities. “Kaesong has been converted into a relative haven for partisan activities.” said Admiral Joy. “Surely you recognise that the status of military occupation carries with it the responsibility for the preservation of order within the area.

“Why, then, do you file protests with the United Nations command every time a shot is fired in the zone, or a group of irregulars attacks one of your police units?"

In a separate reply to the Communist charge that low-circling flare-drop-ping Allied planes violated the Kaesong zone Admiral Joy told General Nam II that that was another attempt to fix a false charge on the United Nations command.

United Nations planes did not circle low while dropping flares, he said.